The Utah Jazz avoided a dreaded return to Denver and clinched a trip to Los Angeles instead.

The Jazz outlasted the Nuggets 112-104 in a Game 6 full of fouls between the division rivals, clinching the first-round series Friday in Game 6.

Carlos Boozer had 22 points and 20 rebounds, and rookie Wesley Matthews scored 13 of his 23 points from the foul line, where Utah shot 51 free throws -- 39 on personal fouls and four more on technicals by the frustrated Nuggets.

"We had a difficult time trying to stop some of their people and we still found a way to win the ball game," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "There isn't a better feeling in the world from a coaching standpoint than watching these guys give all they had to win the game."

Pau Gasol tipped in a missed jumper by Kobe Bryant with a half-second left and the Los Angeles Lakers survived a late comeback effort by Oklahoma City and eliminated the Thunder 95-94 in Game 6 of the first-round playoff series on Friday night.

Gasol crashed to the rim at the right block and tipped in Bryant's shot to put the defending NBA champions ahead after they squandered a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Gasol pumped both fists after the basket, and the Lakers moved on when Russell Westbrook missed a desperation 3-pointer at the final buzzer.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 26 points on a dreadful 5-for-23 shooting night. Westbrook had 21 points and nine assists.

Bryant scored 32 points and Gasol had nine points and 18 rebounds, scoring his only basket of the second half at the end.

Jamal Crawford saw the end to his series-long shooting slump coming, making a promise after the pregame shootaround: It'll be back tonight.

Crawford then went out and finally played like the NBA's Sixth man of the Year in the playoffs, scoring 24 points to help the Atlanta Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 83-69 on Friday night to force a seventh game in the first-round series.

"I felt like I was letting everybody down the first few games, especially the last game," Crawford said. "I haven't slept much the last couple of days. Usually in that situation the next game can't come fast enough."

Crawford was coming off a miserable 4-for-18 shooting performance in Game 5, and wasn't much better in the first four games.

Now he's looking more like the instant-offense threat he was in the regular season, and the Hawks are back from the brink of an improbable first-round exit at the hands of a team that wasn't expected to do much in the playoffs.

Milwaukee completes the upset... rolling past Atlanta in Game 6 by a score of 103-83. The Bucks spread the ball around, with their top six players shooting over 50 percent and reaching double figues. After cruising out to an 85-55 lead at the end of the third quarter, Milwaukee is able to coast to an easy victory.

The Thunder put up a good fight, but our simulation says the Lakers advance in Game 6. Los Angeles is completely overmatched in the paint, but Kobe Bryant is able to take matters in to his own hands. The Mamba goes for 32 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals as the Lakers snatch a 101-93 victory.

Despite the Nuggets losing Nene for tonight, Denver-Utah is the first series to go to a Game 7. Carmelo Anthony leads the charge with 28 points, while J.R. Smith knocks down 10-of-19 for 26 of his own.

Sure, basketball is a team game... but individual performances can still spell the difference between playoff success and failure. In this feature, we take a look at the players who made the biggest impact, good or bad, on the day's results. Which player made the most efficient use of his offensive touches to help his team win the game? Which player's misses cost his team a shot at victory?

Here's what we've got...

Let us know how we did. Did we choose the right guys? Who would you add or subtract?HOT SHOT - J.R. Smith

Carmelo Anthony got the help he was begging for, J.R. Smith found his long-range touch and the Denver Nuggets avoided elimination with a 116-102 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.

The Nuggets, trying to become the first team in four years to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the playoffs, sent the series back to Salt Lake City for Game 6 on Friday night despite losing center Nene to a sprained left knee in the first half.

Anthony had 26 points and 11 rebounds, Smith made four big 3-pointers among his 17 points, and Chauncey Billups had 21 points for the Nuggets.

Denver won a game in which it was facing elimination for the first time since the 1994 Western Conference semifinals against Utah. The Nuggets had lost eight straight elimination games, six since Anthony joined the team in 2003.

Atlanta bangs it out down low; blocking seven shots, outrebounding Milwaukee 29-19, and racking up 60 points in the paint. Joe Johnson drops in 22 points to carry Atlanta, while Mike Bibby chips in a double-double of his own. Final score: Hawks 102, Bucks 94.

The Nuggets keep the series alive with a 103-93 win over the Jazz. Carmelo Anthony leads the charge with a 27-point performance, and Denver uses stout defense to seal the deal. Kyle Korver becomes an unlikely leader for the Jazz, scoring 21 points in defeat.